The Return of Melvin Gordon

The Return of Melvin Gordon

It has officially happened, star running back for the Los Angeles Chargers Melvin Gordon has ended his holdout and has reported to the team’s training facility early Thursday morning (9/26/19).  The Chargers who were already playing well are about to get a huge boost to their offense. While this is obviously outstanding news for the Chargers what does it mean for the rest of the NFL.  

The Chargers are always being thought of as playoff contenders even without Melvin Gordon.  They have a veteran quarterback and a solid defense. But with Melvin Gordon, the team automatically become contenders to win the AFC.  I would say of all the positive things that Melvin Gordon will bring this year, the best thing for the team might also be the most stressful.  Yes, the superstar is reporting to the team but has also made it clear he will enter free agency next season.  

Obviously with Gordon already declaring something like that it means that the Chargers are going to have little to no chance of having the pro bowl running back for next season.  They may be able to place the Franchise Tag on him, but this may lead to another holdout. The positive spin on this is that Melvin Gordon will be running harder than ever because teams are going to be paying a lot more attention.  There will be teams interested in Gordon. He knows that the better he runs and the better the Chargers do will all look good for his future. So, with that being said, I expect Gordon to hold nothing back.

With the star running back playing for a new contract, I feel he has the talent to carry the team to the Super Bowl.  While this is indeed great news for the Chargers this doesn’t discount the play of Austin Ekeler who carried the load and really made the absence of Melvin Gordon almost a non-factor. Actually, I don’t think it's crazy to say that the play of Ekeler was a part of the reason Gordon ended his holdout. It doesn’t really matter what caused the superstar to end his holdout, whether it was financial reasons or otherwise, the man is back, and Los Angeles looks fully charged and ready for a big season.  

By: Ryan Johnson